Refilling container having flexible shoulder portion movable between subsided and extended positions

ABSTRACT

The refilling container of the present invention is a simplified container for use in containing a refilling detergent and the like. A number of the refilling containers can be laied at a limited space. The refilling container can be refilled with a content easily and surely, and can be disposed easily. The refilling container is comprised of a thermoformed container body and a seal film for sealing an opening positioned at the lower end of the container body. A tapered cylindrical shoulder portion is continuously connected to the upper end of the barrel portion of the container body, and from the center portion of the shoulder portion, a nozzle cylinder 4 closed by a platen 21 at the extreme end thereof extends upwardly. In ease of such as refilling a content in the container body or displaying the refilling container after filled with a content, the refilling container is converted to the state of the shoulder portion being subsided in the barrel portion, while in ease of reffilling a content in another container, it is converted to the state of the shoulder portion being projected from the barrel portion and then the extreme end of the nozzle cylinder is cut to form an injection port.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a simplified refilling container foruse in containing detergents, shampoos and the like.

BACKGROUND ART

Containers for containing detergents, shampoos and the like are requiredto satisfy the conditions such as (1) being able to fully contain acontent, (2) being able to open and close repeatedly, (3) being able toinject a content stably and without troubles, and (4) being easy tohandle. As such a container, bottle containers are generally employed inthe prior art.

Containers capable of satisfying said conditions are complicated instructure, so that they require many processes in the production thereofand a comparatively great deal of a material in molding the materialinto one container to thereby increase a unit price of production.

While, said containers can be reused sufficiently without anyinconvenience since said conditions are not lost even after the contentof the containers was exhausted. However, these containers have hithertobeen disposed. As above-mentioned, disposal of the containers does notmeet with a requirement to nurse resources and it is difficult to burnout the containers, because these containers are made of a comparativelygreat deal of a synthetic resin material.

In order to eliminate these disadvantages, a consuming cycle gainspublic favor, in which a content such as detergents, shampoos and thelike is contained in a simplified refilling container and the contentcontained therein is refilled in said exhausted bottle container to usethe same content.

Conventional refilling containers broadly used include self-standing upcontainers molded in the form of a bag. Such a refilling container hasthe superior advantages that a unit price of production is extremely lowand also it can be easy to dispose.

Though said conventional bag-shaped refilling container is opened bycutting the corner thereof with scissors and the like, the shape of theopening can not be constant in such a manner. When the shape of theopening is not constant as such, a content in the refilling container isspilt outside another container upon refilling it in this anothercontainer.

Particularly, in case said another container is a container having asmall-sized opening such as a bottle container, the content is easy tobe spilt. Further, the refilling container is soft in its entirety andlacks in self-shape holdability, so that the entire container should besupported by both hands during refilling operation. Thus, when therefilling work is effected by one person, another container to berefilled can not be supported by his hands, so that the refilling workof the content should be effected in a unstable state.

In addition, even if the refilling operation is effected whilesupporting another container by both hands, the refilling operation ofthe content becomes unstable and thus the content is easy to be spiltsince the entire shape of the refilling container is changed as thecontent flows out and the shape of the opening of the container is alsochanged in accordance therewith.

Said refilling container is extremely low in self-shape holdability, sothat when displayed the container in the state of self-standing up insuch as a shop, the refilling container is bent halfway unsightly.Furthermore, there is a problem that only a few commodities (refillingcontainers) can not be displayed at a given space because theserefilling containers can not be stacked one another.

Said refilling containers include also those comprising a bag-shapedcontainer body provided with an injection port having a cap, saidinjection port consisting,of separate parts from said container body. Insuch a refilling container, there is a fear that not only a producitincost increases uselessly but also a sealing and containing abilitydecreases since said injection port capable of repeatedly using isprovided in the container body which is throwaway parts.

An object of the present invention is to provide a refilling containerexcellent in self-shape holdability; capable of refilling a content withease and success; advantageous in such as transportation, storage anddisplay; and capable of disposing easily, and to provide a methodsuitable for-producing said refilling container.

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION

A refilling container according to the present invention comprises (a) athin container body and (b) a seal film molten-adhered thereto. Saidcontainer body is one prepared by thermoforming a synthetic resin sheet,and this container body is provided with a cylindrical barrel portion ofwhich lower end is opened, an outwardly overhanging-flange formedintegrally with and circumferentially of the edge of said openingpositioning at the lower end of said barrel portion, a taperedcylindrical shoulder portion continuously connected to the upper end ofsaid barrel portion, a short-cylindrical nozzle cylinder continuouslyconnected to and stood up from the center portion of the shoulderportion, and a platen closing the top of the nozzle cylinder.

Said seal film is molten-adhered to the lower surface of the flange ofsaid container body for sealing up the opening positioned at the lowerend of the container body.

The refilling container constructed as above has a high self-shapeholdability and is convenient in such as transportation, storage anddisplay.

Preferably, the barrel portion of said-container body is shaped in theform of a tapered cylinder, of which taper reduces upwardly in diameter,and is provided with a step portion projecting outwardly at the lowerend of the barrel portion, the outer diameter of the step portion beinglarger than the inner diameter of the opening positioned at the lowerend of said barrel portion. This allows to prevent from being stronglyfitted in one another so as not to be pulled out, when they were stackedprior to filling a content. The taper of said shoulder portion may belinear or arcuate. Usable cross-sectional shape of the nozzle cylindermay be various shapes such as circular, eliptic, rectangular.

Best ways to use the refilling containers are as follows: Either in caseof filling a content in the refilling container, or in case oftransporting, storing or displaying the refilling container after filledwith a content, these refilling containers are used after said shoulderportion was subsided inside said barrel portion. In case of refilling acontent filled in the refilling container into another container, therefilling container is used after said shoulder portion was turned overand projected from the barrel portion.

It is prefered that at least one tapered supplemental shoulder portion,of which taper reduces upwardly in diameter, is formed between saidbarrel portion and said shoulder portion. This allows to form two ormore refraction points between the shoulder portion and the barrelportion to effect said turn-over at these two points, whereby saidturn-over action can be effected very easily. In this case, a sizerelation among the thickness t1 of the flange, the thickness t2 of thestep portion, the thickness t3 of the lower portion of the barrelportion, the thickness t4 of the upper portion of the barrel portion,the thickness t5 of the supplemental shoulder portion, the thickness t6of the shoulder portion and the thickness t7 of the nozzle cylinder isprefered to be t1>t6>t2>t3≧t4≧t5>t7 with the thickness of the flange t1being prefered to be 0.4 mm-1.0 mm.

It is also prefered to form a reinforcing ring circularly surroundingthe shoulder portion between said barrel portion and said shoulderportion. Upon forming the reinforcing ring, said turn-over action of theshoulder portion is ready to be effected and also a strain can not occurat the connected portion of the barrel portion to the shoulder portion.A preferable reinforcing ring have a substantially same surface as avirtual flat surface including the entire outer circumferential edge ofthe shoulder portion, or a sloped surface sloping downwardly toward thecenter of the shoulder portion. Said sloped surface can be alsoconstituted by a convex-curved surface upwardly projecting. Saidsupplemental shoulder portion may be formed between the reinforcing ringand the barrel portion.

Furthermore, the shoulder portion is preferably provided with areinforcing rib which can be also attained by forming a irregularitypattern on the shoulder portion.

In case of filling a content in said container body, the shoulderportion thereof is turned over and subsided in the barrel portion, thecontainer body is stood up reversely so that the opening at said lowerend of the container body be positioned upwardly, and then a content isfilled in the container body through said upwardly-positioned opning atthe lower end.

After a predetermined amount of content was filled in the containerbody, said opening at the lower end thereof is sealed by molten-adheringsaid seal film to the flange of the container body. Thus, the content issealed and contained in the refilling container.

Upon transporting, storing, or displaying the refilling container in thestate of the shoulder portion being subsided inside the barrel portionas above-mentioned, the total height of the refilling container isrestrained at a low level so that a space for containing and storing canbe reduced. Particularly when the height size of said nozzle cylinder issmaller than that of said shoulder portion, it is more advantageoussince the nozzle cylinder does not project from the edge of the upperend of said barrel portion and thus the refilling containers can bestacked one another.

A projected piece projecting downwardly relative to said sealing film ispreferably formed circumferentially of said flange. In this case, it isprefered that the downwardly-projecting size of the projected piece isset to a larger value than a deflection value of said seal filmdeflected downwardly when a content was filled in said container body.This allows to rise the bottom thereof so as not to directly contact theseal film with such as a display rack, whereby the seal film can beprevented from damaging. Further, when the refilling container was suchas dropped by mistake, said projected piece acts as a buffer material.

The shape of said projected piece may be either in the form of arc ofwhich section projects downwardly or in the form of bellows extendingdownwardly. In short, said projected piece may be of any shape, providedthat it has a function capable of rising the bottom of the seal film.When the content of the refilling container is refilled in anothercontainer such as an empty bottle container, the barrel portion of thecontainer body is pressed by such as gripping it with hands to therebyincrease an inner pressure within the container body. Thus, the shoulderportion, which has been turned over and subsided in the barrel portion,is turned over again and returned to a posture projected upwardly withrespect to the barrel portion. Then, the upper end portion of the nozzlecylinder projecting from the center of the shoulder portion is cut withscissors and the like to open an injection port. Thereafter, the contentof the refilling container is refilled in another container either byplacing said opened nozzle cylinder near the mouth of another containeror by inserting the former into the latter. During the refilling work,the nozzle cylinder is maintained in a constant cylindrical shape, sothat the content is constantly and successfully injected through thenozzle cylinder.

In addition, when the thickness size of the platen of said containerbody is larger than that of said nozzle cylinder, the nozzle cylinder iseasily cut since the platen is tensioned. Further, the nozzle cylinderto be cut can be distinguished from the platen because the platen isthicker, enabling to form a cut opening of a constant shape at apredetermined position.

After the content was completely injected, the refilling container isdisposed in a compact shape by crushing it flat. The crushing treatmentof the container body is easy since the same body is thinly formed. Thecrushing is also easy when the seal film is torn prior to crushing.

The present invention provides a method suitable for manufacturing athin container body made of a resin, said container body being providedwith a cylindrical barrel portion; an outwardly overhanging-flangeformed integrally with and circumferentially of the edge of an openingpositioning at the lower end of the barrel portion; a shoulder portioncontinuously connected to the upper end of the barrel portion; and ashort-cylindrical nozzle cylinder having a top, continuously connectedto and stood up from the center portion of the shoulder portion.

In a first manufacturing method, there are used a molding mold having acavity which has the same shape as the container body and is opened at acorresponding portion to the bottom of said container body; and a plugcapable of penetrating into the cavity of the molding mold. According tothe first manufacturing method, the container body is manufacturedthrough the steps of:

(a) covering the opening of said cavity of said molding mold with asynthetic resin sheet;

(b) pinching and pressing a predetermined portion of the synthetic resinsheet, said predetermined portion being positioned to be at leastcircumferential edge portion of the flange of the container body, aroundthe opening of said cavity and between said molding mold and a pressingring;

(c) pressing said synthetic resin sheet inwardly of said cavity by meansof said plug under a heating condition while pressing said predeterminedportion of the synthetic resin sheet to be the flange of the containerbody by means of said pressing ring; and

(d) generating a pressure difference between the inside and the outsideof said synthetic resin sheet during the step of pressuring by means ofsaid plug to thereby adhere said synthetic resin sheet to the innersurface of said cavity.

In the first manufacturing method, the circumferential edge portion ofthe flange of the resulting container body can be formed of anon-oriented resin since a tension does not act on the predeterminedportion to be at least circumferential edge portion of the flange. Thecircumferential portion of the flange, said portion being formed of thenon-oriented resin, is not broken radially even if an impact caused bysuch as dropping is impressed thereon.

In the first manufacturing method, it is prefered that the innerdiameter of said sheet-pressing ring is substantially-equal to or lessthan the diameter of the opening of said cavity because this enables tonon-orient not only the circumferential edge portion but also the entireflange.

In a second manufacturing method, there are used a molding mold having acavity which has the same shape as said container body and is opened ata corresponding portion to the bottom of said container body, the insideof said opening of the cavity being provided with a groove going roundthe opening; and a plug capable of penetrating into the cavity of themolding mold. According to the second manufacturing method, thecontainer body is manufactured through the steps of:

(a) covering the opening of said cavity of said molding mold with asynthetic resin sheet;

(b) pinching and pressing the synthetic resin sheet circumferential ofthe opening of said cavity, between said molding mold and asheet-pressing ring;

(c) pressing said synthetic resin sheet inwardly of said cavity by meansof said plug under a heating condition while pressing said syntheticresin sheet by means of said pressing ring; and

(d) generating a pressure difference between the inside and the outsideof said synthetic resin sheet during the step of pressuring by means ofsaid plug to thereby adhere said synthetic resin sheet to the innersurface of said cavity.

In the second manufacturing method, the circumferential portion of theedge of the opening positioned at the lower end of the barrel portion isstretched in both axial and radial directions of the barrel portion, sothat the resin forming said circumferential portion may be oriented inlongitudinal and horizontal directions. Thus, the strengthcircumferential of the end of the opening at the lower end of the barrelportion can be increased to cause hard to generate a break.

It is also possible to combine said first manufacturing method with saidsecond manufacturing method. In said first and second manufacturingmethods, any suitable means for generating a pressure difference includemeans for providing a positive pressure in the outside of the syntheticresin sheet by such as supplying a pressurized gas therein, means forproviding a negative pressure in the inside of the synthetic resin sheetby such as sucking the interior of the cavity, or means for applyingboth said negative and positive pressures.

The shape of the plug used in said first and second manufacturingmethods may be analogeous to that of the cavity.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an elevational entire view showing breaking a part of therefilling container of Embodiment 1 in which a shoulder portion issubsided in a barrel portion.

FIG. 2 is an elevational entire view showing the container body ofEmbodiment 1 in which a shoulder portion is projected upwardly from abarrel portion.

FIG. 3 is a view showing container bodies stacked one aother:

FIG. 4 is an elevation view showing the state of breaking the nozzlecylinder of a refilling container.

FIG. 5 is a view showing the state of refilling the content of arefilling container in another container.

FIG. 6 is a view showing the state of breaking the seal film of an emptyrefilling container.

FIG. 7 is a view showing the state of an empty refilling containercrushed flat.

FIG. 8 is an elevational entire view showing the refilling container ofEmbodiment 2 in which a shoulder portion is projected upwardly from abarrel portion.

FIG. 9 is an elevational entire view showing breaking a part of therefilling container of Embodiment 2 in which a shoulder portion issubsided in a barrel portion.

FIG. 10 is an elevational entire view showing breaking a part of therefilling container of Embodiment 3 in which a shoulder portion issubsided in a barrel portion.

FIG. 11 is an elevational entire view showing the refilling container ofEmbodiment 3 in which a shoulder portion is projected upwardly from abarrel portion.

FIG. 12 is an enlarged sectional view showing the lower portion of therefilling container of Embodiment 3.

FIG. 13 is a view showing breaking a part of a modification example ofthe refilling container of Embodiment 3 in which a shoulder portion isprojected upwardly from a barrel portion.

FIG. 14 is an elevational entire view showing the refilling container ofEmbodiment 4 in which a shoulder portion is projected upwardly from abarrel portion.

FIG. 15 is an elevational entire view showing breaking a part of therefilling container of Embodiment 4 in which a shoulder portion issubsided in a barrel portion.

FIG. 16 is an elevation view showing the state of breaking the nozzlecylinder of a refilling container of Embodiment 4.

FIG. 17 is a half sectional view showing positions for measuring thethickness of a container body.

FIG. 18 is an elevational entire view showing breaking a part of therefilling container of Embodiment 5 in which a shoulder portion isprojected upwardly from a barrel portion.

FIG. 19 is an enlarged view showing the end surface circumferential of areinforcing ring used in a refilling container of Embodiment 5.

FIG. 20 is an enlarged view showing the end surface circumferential of areinforcing ring used in a first modification example of the refillingcontainer of Embodiment 5.

FIG. 21 is an enlarged view showing the end surface circumferential of areinforcing ring used in a second modification example of the refillingcontainer of Embodiment 5.

FIG. 22 is an elevation view showing the upper portion of a thirdmodification example of the refilling container of Embodiment 5 in whicha shoulder portion is projected upwardly from a barrel portion.

FIG. 23 is an enlarged view showing the end surface circumferential of areinforcing ring used in a refilling container of said thirdmodification example.

FIG. 24 is an elevation view showing the upper portion of a fourthmodification example of the refilling container of Embodiment 5 in whicha shoulder portion is projected upwardly from a barrel portion.

FIG. 25 is an elevation view showing the refilling container of saidfouth modification example.

FIGS. 26A and 26B are a sectional view of a reinforcing rib,respectively.

FIG. 27 is an elevation view showing the upper portion of a fifthmodification example of the refilling container of Embodiment 5 in whicha shoulder portion is projected upwardly from a barrel portion.

FIG. 28 is a view for explaining a manufactureing method according tothe present invention.

FIG. 29 is a view for explaining a comparative-manufactureing method.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

Preferable embodiments of the present invention are describedhereinafter based on the drawings.

[Embodiment 1]

Refilling containers according to Embodiment 1 are explained based onFIGS. 1-7. FIG. 1 is an elevational entire view showing breaking a partof the refilling container of Embodiment 1. The refilling container isprovided with a thin container body 1 of which lower end is opened, anda seal film 7 for sealing up the opening positioned at the lower end ofthe container body 1. FIG. 2 is an elevational entire view showing thecontainer body 1 prior to refilling a content. The container body 1 isone prepared by thermoforming a thin synthetic resin film, and comprisesa barrel portion 2, a shoulder portion 3, a nozzle cylinder 4, a flange5 and a platen 21.

The barrel portion 2 is shaped in the form of a tapered cylinder havinga circular cross-section, of which taper reduces upwardly and graduallyin diameter, and is opened at the lower end thereof. At the lower endportion of the barrel portion 2, there is formed a step portion 6 ofwhich diameter increases outwardly. The outer diameter W₁ of the stepportion 6 is designed so as to be larger than the inner diameter W₂ ofthe opening at the lower end of the barrel portion 2. Said flange 5 isformed integrally with and circumferentially of the edge of the openingpositioned at the lower end of the barrel portion and overhangshorizontally and outwardly.

Said shoulder portion 3 is shaped in the form of a linearly-inclinedtapered cylinder having a circular cross-section and is continuouslyconnected to the upper end of the barrel portion 2. The shoulder portion3 is designed so that it can be subsided in the barrel portion 2 byturning over downwardly and so that the thus subsided shoulder portion 3can project again upwardly from the barrel portion 2. A suitableinclined angle θ of the shoulder portion 3 to ensure the turn-overaction is 45° or less, and preferably 30° or less.

The nozzle cylinder 4 is shaped in the form of a slightly-tapered shortcylinder having a circular cross-section, and is continuously connectedto the center portion of said shoulder portion 3 in the posture ofstanding up. The top of the nozzle cylinder 4 is closed by said platen21. The height size a of the nozzle cylinder 4 is set to a value smallerthan the height size b of the shoulder portion 3.

A container body 1 for cotaining 500 ml (total height: 160 mm, heightsize b of the shoulder portion 3: 12 mm, height size a of the nozzlecylinder 4: 10 mm) as shown in FIG. 2 was manufactured by thermoforminga single-layered polypropylene sheet having a thickness of 1.50 mm. Theeven thickness of the shoulder portion 3 of the resulting container bodywas about 0.37 mm and the even thickness of the continuously connectedportion between the barrel portion 2 and the shoulder portion 3, or theupper end portion of the barrel portion 2, was about 0.16 mm.

Since the thickness of the upperr end portion of the barrel portion 2 issufficiently small as set forth above, the elastic turn-over anddeformation of the shoulder portion 3 can be easily and stablyaccomplished. Since the thickness of the shoulder portion 3 is alsorelatively large, the turn-over and deformation state of the shoulderportion 3 itself can be stably self-holded. Since the container body 1is manufactured by thermo-molding, it is obtained at high productionefficiency and at low cost. In addition, the container body 1 may bethermoformed from the beginning in the state of the shoulder portion 3having been subsided in the barrel portion 2.

Since the barrel portion 2 of said container body 1 is shaped in theform of a tapered cylinder and is provided with the step portion 6 ofwhich outer diameter W₁ is larger than the inner diameter W₂ of theopening at the lower end of the barrel portion 2, the container bodies 1are not fixed into one another so strongly as not to be pulled out whenthey were stacked prior to filling a content, as shown in FIG. 3.

Said seal film 7 is molten-adhered to all around the bottom surface ofthe flange 5 of said container body 1 while sealing the opening at thelower end of the container body 1.

The seal film 7 is required to have a high compatibility with thecontainer body 1. Since the seal film 7 forms a "seat" when laied therefilling container on such as a floor while forming a "stacked portion"when stacked the refilling containers one another, as set forthhereinafter, the seal film 7 is also requiered to have a sufficientmechanical strength to endure the weight of the refilling container.

We, the present inventors, carried out an impact strength test whendropped said 500 ml container body 1 from a height of about 1 m, saidcontainer body being filled with a liquid detergent, as a content, andusing a layered film, as a seal film 7 assembled with the containerbody 1. The layered film was prepared by laminating a non-stretchedpolypropylene layer having a thickness of 0.06-0.08 mm, a nylon layerhaving a thickness of 0.015-0.025 mm and a polyethylene terephthalatelayer having a thickness of 0.012 mm in this order from the side of thecontainer body 1. After repeated said test five times, this seal film 7exhibited a sufficient strength not to be broken and a stable enduaranceeven when stacked several number (3-4) of the refilling containers.

In this connection, molding materials for use in the container body 1and the seal film 7 may include various sheets and films each havingrequired physical properties, without limiting said synthetic resin filmof single layer and said multi-layered film. Further, it is desired todecorate the surface of the container body 1 by properly printingthereon.

The thus constituted refilling containers are used in the followingmanner: Either in case of filling a content in the refilling container,or in case of transporting, storing or displaying the refillingcontainer after filled with a content, these refilling containers areused after said shoulder portion 3 was subsided inside said barrelportion 2. In case of refilling a content filled in the refillingcontainer into another container, the refilling container is used aftersaid shoulder portion 3 was turned over and projected from the barrelportion 2. Details thereof are as follows:

(1) Work for filling a content in the refilling container:

In case of filling a content such as detergents and shampoos in saidcontainer body, the shoulder portion 3 thereof is turned over andsubsided in the barrel portion 2, the container body 1 is stood upreversely so that the opening at the lower end of the container body 1be positioned upwardly, and then a content is filled in the containerbody 1 through the upwardly-positioned opening at the lower end.

After a predetermined amount of content was filled in the container body1, said opening at the lower end thereof is sealed by molten-adheringsaid seal film 7 to the flange 5 of the container body 1. Thus, thesealing and containing of the content into the refilling container areaccomplished.

(2) Transportation, storage and display of the refilling container:

In case of transporting, storing or displaying the refilling containerfilled with a content, the refilling container is handled in the stateof the shoulder portion 3 of the container body 1 being subsided in thebarrel portion 2 as set forth above.

Since the height size a of the nozzle cylinder 4 of the container bodyis set to a value smaller than the height size b of the shoulder portion3 as stated above, the edge of the upper end of the nozzle cylinder 4 isdesigned always to be positioned below relative to the edge of the upperend of the barrel portion 2 in the state of the shoulder portion 3 beingsubsided in the barrel portion 2, and thus the edge of the upper end ofthe nozzle cylinder 4 does not project from the edge of the upper end ofthe barrel portion 2. Accordingly, the refilling containers filled witha content can be stacked one another. Thus, it is very advantageoussince a number of the refilling containers can be laied at a limitedspace and this allows conveniently to transport, store and display them.

Furthermore, since the total height of the refilling container in thestate of the shoulder portion 3 being subsided in the barrel portion 2is as low as (a+b) size relative to the state of the shoulder portion 3being projected from the barrel portion 2, a space can be utilizedefficiently and the refilling container can be also handled efficiently.

(3) Work for refilling a content:

Refilling of the content of the refilling container into an empty bottlecontainer 100 is carried out as follows.

The refilling container in the state as shown in FIG. 1 is pressed bysuch as gripping it with one hand to act the pressed power R on thebarrel portion 2, thereby increasing an inner pressure within therefilling container. Thus, the subsided shoulder portion 3 is turnedover and returned to a posture projecting upwardly out of the barrelportion 2 to thereby convert into a shape like in FIG. 2.

Then, the upper end portion of the nozzle cylinder 4 projecting upwardlyfrom the shoulder portion 3 is cut with scissors and the like, as shownin FIG. 4, to open the upper end of the nozzle cylinder 4. Thereafter,refilling of the content is carried out while inclining the refillingcontainer by placing the upper end of the opened nozzle cylinder 4 nearthe mouth 101 of the empty bottle container 100, as shown in FIG. 5.

At this time, the refilling container 1 exhibits a relatively highself-holdability since it is a thin container but has basically acylindrical shape inspire of a thin container. Accordingly, there is nofear that, during the refilling work, the refilling container isdeformed to make the refilling work difficult. Moreover, said opening ofthe nozzle cylinder 4 is always maintained in a constant shape and thecontent is also injected in a constant shape through the opening, sothat the refilling work is done easily and the content is hardly to bespilt.

Particularly when the outer diameter of the nozzle cylinder 4 is set tobe less than the inner diameter of the mouth 101 of the bottle container100, the refilling work of the content can be carried out in the statethat the nozzle cylinder 4 is fitted into the mouth 101 of the bottlecontainer 100, thus enabling to accomplish more certainly the refillingtreatment without spilling the content.

(4) Disposal of the refilling container:

When refilling was completed and the refilling container became empty,the entire refilling container is crushed flat and then disposed asshown in FIG. 7. In this case, when the seal film has been previouslytorn, the container body 1 can be easily crushed. When the refillingcontainer is disposed after crushed as such, the container to bedisposed become compact.

[Embodiment 2]

A refilling container according to Embodiment 2 is explained based onFIGS. 8 and 9. The basic constitution of the refilling container ofEmbodiment 2 is the same as that of said Embodiment 1. Differences ofEmbodiment 2 from Embodiment 1 are explained hereinafter.

The upper end portion of the barrel portion 2 of the container body 1 inthis refilling container curves slightly inside as it approaches to theupper edge, and a shoulder portion 3 is continuously connected to thecurved upper edge of the barrel portion 2. A refraction point P₀ isformed between said upper edge of the barrel portion 2 and the shoulderportion 3. The shoulder portion 3 is shaped in the form of anarcuatelyinclined, tapered cylinder having a circular cross-section.

Also in this Embodiment 2, the shoulder portion 3 is designed to becapable of turning over and subsiding in the barrel portion 2 as shownin FIG. 9, while the subsided shoulder portion 3 is designed to becapable of turning over again and projecting upwardly from the barrelportion 2 as shown in FIG. 8. Since the shoulder portion 3 is shaped inthe form of an arcuate taper, the elasticity of the shoulder portion 3is strengthened and thus the turn-over action thereof is facilitated.

Further, since the upper portion of the barrel portion 2 is curvedinside so as to position the refraction point P₀ inside, a cornerportion between the shoulder portion 3 and the barrel portion 2 of afirst container body 1 positioned inside does not be caught on the innersurface of a second container body 1 positioned outside.

[Embodiment 3]

A refilling container accordig to Embodiment 3 is explained based onFIGS. 10-13. The basic constitution of the refilling container ofEmbodiment 3 is the same as that of said Embodiment 1. Differences ofEmbodiment 3 from Embodiment 1 are explained hereinafter.

FIG. 10 shows the state of the shoulder portion 3 of this refillingcontainer being subsided in the barrel portion 2, and FIG. 11 shows thestate of the shoulder portion 3 being projected upwardly from the barrelportion 2.

A projected piece 10 projecting downwardly and having a cross-section ofa semi-circular arch is formed around the flange 5 of the container body1 of the refilling container and is designed to be capable of rising thebottom of a seal film 7. The height size c of the bottom-rising piece 10is set to a value larger than a deflection value d of said seal filmdeflected downwardly when a content was filled in the container body 1so that a clearance e is formed between a floor surface T and the sealfilm 7 when the refilling container was placed on the floor surface T,as shown in FIG. 12.

Since the bottom of the seal film 7 is rised by the projected piece 10,the seal film 7 does not be damaged by contacting with the floor surfaceT. Further, even when the refilling container was such as dropped bymistake, said projected piece acts as a buffer material to therebyimprove the impact resistance of the container body 1.

The sectional shape of the projected piece 10 does not be limited tosemi-circular arch but various shapes may be employed. FIG. 13 shows anexample of the sectional shape being in the form of bellows. Inaddition, a supplemental shoulder portion 11 is provided between thebarrel portion 2 and the shoulder portion 3 in the container body shownin FIG. 13. This supplemental shoulder portion 11 is detailed inEmbodiment 4.

[Embodiment 4]

A refilling container accordig to Embodiment 4 is explained based onFIGS. 14-17. The basic constitution of the refilling container ofEmbodiment 4 is the same as that of said Embodiment 1. DifferencesEmbodiment 4 from Embodiment 1 are explained hereinafter.

FIG. 14 shows the state where the shoulder portion 3 of the refillingcontainer projects upwardly from the barrel portion 2, and FIG. 15 showsthe state of the shoulder portion 3 being subsided in the barrel portion2.

In the container body 1 of this refilling container, a supplementalshoulder portion 11, of which diameter reduces upwardly, is formedbetween the barrel portion 2 and the shoulder portion 3. A boundarybetween the supplemental shoulder portion 11 and the barrel portion 2corresponds to a first refraction point P₁, and a boundary between thesupplemental shoulder portion 11 and the shoulder portion 3 correspondsto a second refraction point P₂.

By forming the supplemental shoulder portion 11 to provide tworefraction points P₁ and P₂ of which refraction point P₂ is arrangedinside, the turn-over of the shoulder portion 3 is effected at these tworefraction points P₁ and P₂ when the shoulder portion 3 was subsided inthe barrel portion 2, whereby the turn-over action can be effected veryeasily.

Furthermore, by arranging the refraction point P₂ inside, the outwardoverhang of a boundary portion between the shoulder portion 3 and thebarrel portion 2 when the shoulder portion 3 was subsided in can bedecreased. Accordingly, when the container bodies 1 prior to filling acontent were stacked as shown in FIG. 3, there is no fear that theboundary portion between the shoulder portion 3 and the barrel portion 2of a first container body 1 positioned inside is caught on the innersurface of the barrel portion 2 of a second container body 1 positionedoutside and thus it becomes difficult to pull out these container bodiesone another.

In this refilling container, the flange 5 is a portion to be the base ofthe container body 1 as well as a most important portion to be a sealportion after filled with a content. For this purpose, the thickness t1of said flange 5 is prefered to be 0.4 mm-1.0 mm.

A size relation among the thickness t1 of the flange 5, the thickness t2of the step portion 6, the thickness t3 of the lower portion of thebarrel portion 2, the thickness t4 of the upper portion of the barrelportion 2, the thickness t5 of the supplemental shoulder portion 11, thethickness t6 of the shoulder portion 3, the thickness t7 of the nozzlecylinder 4 and the thickness t8 of the platen 21 is prefered to bet1>t6>t2>t3≧t4≧t5>t7<t8.

The shoulder portion 3 is desired to be thin in order to easily turnover and subside in. In case the shoulder portion 3 is too thin,however, either the shoulder portion 3 sometimes deforms partially dueto such as thermal expansion of a content during storing the contentafter the shoulder portion 3 was turned over and subsided in and thenthe content was filled in the container body i and thereafter theopening at the lower end of the container body 1 was sealed with theseal film 7, or the shoulder portion 3 sometimes projects on and returnsas it was, due to the weight of the content itself against the will of auser, so that the thickness thereof can not be smaller than a thicknessto be required. For this reason, it is desired that the thickness t6 ofthe shoulder portion 3 is large next to the thickness t1 of the flange5.

The step portion 6 is a portion having a reinforcing role for preventingdeformation. For this reason, the thickness t2 of the step portion 6 issmaller than the thickness t1 of the flange 5 but is larger than thethicknesses t3, t4 of the barrel portion 2. The thicknesses t3, t4 ofthe barrel portion 2 and the thickness t5 of the supplemental shoulderportion 11 are required to be a thickness so as not to cause bucklingwhen the shoulder portion 3 was subsided in the barrel portion 2.

In case the thickness t7 of the nozzle cylinder 4 is smaller than thethickness t8 of the platen 21, the platen 21 is tensioned so that thenozzle cylinder 4 is easily cut when cut with scissors and the like, asshown in FIG. 16. Further, the nozzle cylinder 4 to be cut can be easilydistinguished from the platen 21, enabling to form a cut opening of aconstant shape at a predetermined position.

A container body 1 for cotaining 500 ml (total height: 160 mm, heightsize b of the shoulder portion 3: 12 mm, height size a of the nozzlecylinder 4: 10 mm) as shown in FIG. 14 was manufactured by thermoforminga single-layered polypropylene sheet having a thickness of 1.50 mm. Thethicknesses of A-H positions shown in FIG. 17 were measured with theresults being shown in the following Table 1. A container body 1manufactured by thermo-form molding a single-layered polyethyleneterephthalate sheet having a thickness of 1.50 mm had also substantiallythe same thicknesses as above.

In this container body 1, since the thickness of from the upper endportion of the barrel portion 2 to the shoulder portion 2 issufficiently small, the elastic turn-over and deformation of theshoulder portion 3 can be easily and stably accomplished.

                  TABLE 1                                                         ______________________________________                                                  Thickness                                                                     (mm)                                                                ______________________________________                                                A   t1 = 1.00                                                                 B   t2 = 0.25                                                                 C   t3 = 0.22                                                                 D   t4 = 0.15                                                                 E   t5 = 0.15                                                                 F   t6 = 0.36                                                                 G   t7 = 0.11                                                                 H   t8 = 0.15                                                         ______________________________________                                    

[Embodiment 5]

A refilling container accordig to Embodiment 5 is explained based onFIGS. 18-27. The basic constitution of the refilling container ofEmbodiment 5 is the same as that of said Embodiment 4. Differences ofEmbodiment 5 from Embodiment 4 are explained hereinafter.

In the container body 1 of this refilling container, a reinforcing ring12 is formed between a supplemental shoulder portion 11 and the shoulderportion 3 as shown in FIGS. 18 and 19. The reinforcing ring 12 iscomprised of a flat surface (a virtual flat surface S including theentire circumferential edge of the shoulder portion 3) circularlysurrounding the shoulder portion 3. In ease of this container body 1, aboundary between the supplemental shoulder portion 11 and the barrelportion 2 corresponds to a first refraction point P₁, a boundary betweenthe supplemental shoulder portion 11 and the reinforcing ring 12corresponds to a second refraction point P₂, and a boundary between thereinforcing ring 12 and the shoulder portion 3 corresponds to a thirdrefraction point P₃.

The reinforcing ring 12 is positioned on a symmetric line based on theshoulder portion 3 as subsided in the barrel portion 2, so that theturn-over action of the shoulder portion 2 is facilitated. In addition,the reinforcing ring 12 reinforces the outer circumferential edge of theshoulder portion 3, so that the shoulder portion 3 can not be distortedwhen turned over and subsided in.

A container body 1 for containing 500 ml (total height: 160 mm, heightsize b of the shoulder portion 3: 12 mm, height size a of the nozzlecylinder 4: 10 mm) as shown in FIG. 18 was manufactured by thermo-formmolding a single-layered polypropylene sheet having a thickness of 1.50mm. The even thickness of the shoulder portion 3 of the resultingcontainer body was about 0.37 mm, and the even thicknesses of thesupplemental shoulder portion 11 and the reinforcing ring 12 each wereabout 0.16 mm.

FIGS. 20-23 each show another shape of the reinforcing ring 12, in whicheases the shoulder portion 3 is also easily turned over and deformed dueto the existence of the reinforcing ring 12 so that the shoulder portion3 can not be distorted when turned over and subsided in.

FIG. 20 shows a convex-curved surface in which a reinforcing ring 12projects upwardly. In this case, the supplemental shoulder portion 11connected to the reinforcing ring 12 has also a convex-curved surface ofwhich diameter reduces upwardly. A portion connected continuously to theshoulder portion 3 of this reinforcing ring 12 forms a sloped surfacesloping downwardly toward the center of the container body 1.

FIG. 21 is comprised of a convex surface 14 in which a reinforcing ring12 projects upwardly and a concave-curved surface 15 in which saidreinforcing ring 12 projects downwardly. In this case, thecontinuously-connected portion of the convex-curved surface 14 to theconcave-curved portion 15 forms a sloped surface sloping downwardlytoward the center of the barrel portion 2.

FIG. 22 is comprised of three concave-curved surfaces 17a, 17b, 17c inwhich the shoulder portion 3 is shaped in the form of a ring. Theconcave-curved surfaces 17a, 17b, 17c function as a reinforcing rib,whereby the shoulder portion 3 can not be distorted when turned over andsubsided in. In this case, the continuously-connected surface of theconcave-curved surface 17a to the supplemental shoulder portion 11 formsa reinforcing ring 12. As shown in an enlarged view of FIG. 23, thisreinforcing rib 12 is a substantially flat surface (a virtual flatsurface S including the entire circumferential edge of theconcave-curved surface 17a).

FIG. 24 is a partial elevational view showing an embodiment in whichreinforcing ribs 18, 18b are provided in a shoulder portion 3, and FIG.25 is a plane view thereof. The reinforcing rib 18a is provided in theform of a ring at the center portion of the shoulder portion 3 and thesectional shape thereof is a substantially semi-circular arch as shownin FIG. 26(A). The reinforcing rib 18b is arranged radially outside thereinforcing rib 18a and the sectional shape thereof is as shown in FIG.26(B).

By forming these reinforcing ribs 18a, 18b, the shoulder portion 3 cannot be distorted when turned over and subsided in. In this figure, thereinforcing ring 12 is formed on a plane surface as in FIG. 18, however,it can be shaped also like a shape as in FIG. 20 or 21.

Further, as shown in FIG. 27, the container body 1 of which shoulderportion 3 forms a curved surface can be, of course, provided also with areinforcing ring 12. In this figure, the centers Q of the curvature ofthe curved surface constituting the shoulder portion 3 are positioned atthe opposite sides pinching the central axis of the barrel portion 2,however, the center of the curvature of the curved surface constitutingthe shoulder portion 3 may be positioned on the central axis of thebarrel portion 2.

[Embodiment 6]

A method for manufacturing the container body 1 of Embodiment 1 shown inFIG. 1 is explained in reference to FIG. 28. A molding mold 31 and aplug 32 are used in this method. A cavity 30 having the same shape asthe container body 1 to be manufactured is formed in the molding mold 31and is opened at a corresponding portion to the bottom of the containerbody 1. Inside the opening of the molding mold 31, a groove 51 goinground the opening is previously formed. The plug 32 is shaped as shownin this figure so that it can penetrate into the cavity of the moldingmold 30.

The manufacturing method according to this embodiment comprises thefollowing four steps of:

(a) covering the opening of said cavity of the molding mold 31 with asynthetic resin sheet 41;

(b) pinching and pressing a predetermined portion of the synthetic resinsheet 41 by means of a sheet-pressing ring 33 having a inner diametersubstantially-equal to or less than the diameter of the opening of thecavity, said predetermined portion being positioned to be the flange 5of the container body 1, around the opening of said cavity and betweensaid pressing ring and said molding mold;

(c) pressing said synthetic resin sheet 41 inwardly of said cavity 30 bymeans of said plug 32 under a heating condition while pressing saidpredetermined portion to be the flange 5 of the container body 1 bymeans of said pressing ring 33; and

(d) generating a negative pressure inside the cavity 30 at saidsynthetic resin sheet 41, as a boundary, in the state of the same sheetbeing pressed by means of said plug 32 to thereby adhere the syntheticresin sheet 41 to the inner surface of said cavity 30.

When manufacturing a container body 1 according to this method, atension does not act on the predetermined portion to be the flange 5during thermoforming, so that the same portion is not stretched andoriented. Thus, a container body 1 of which flange 5 is formed of anon-oriented resin can be manufactured. This does not allow to breakradially the flange 5 even if an impact caused by such as dropping isimpressed thereon,

While, the circumferential portion of the edge of the opening positionedat the lower end of the barrel portion 2 of the container body 1 isstretched in both axial and radial directions of the barrel portion 2,so that the resin forming said circumferential portion may be orientedin longitudinal and horizontal directions. Thus, the strengthcircumferential of the end of the opening at the lower end of the barrelportion 2 can be increased to cause hard to generate a break even if animpact caused by such as dropping is impressed thereon.

According to this method, a container body 1 for containing 500 ml(total height: 160 mm, height size b of the shoulder portion 3: 12 mm,height size a of the nozzle cylinder 4: 10 mm) as shown in FIG. 2 wasmanufactured by thermoforming a single-layered polypropylene sheethaving a thickness of 1.50 mm. The even thickness of the shoulderportion 3 of the resulting container body was about 0.37 mm and the eventhickness of the continuously-connected portion of the barrel portion 2to the shoulder portion 3, or the upper end portion of the barrelportion 2, was about 0.16 mm.

After said 500 ml container body 1 was filled with a liquid detergent,as a content, and the seal film 7 was molten-adhered to the flange 5, adropping test from a height of about 1 m was carried out. As a result,no damages such as radial breakage of the flange 5 or circumferentialbreakage of the opening at the lower end of the barrel portion 2 weregenerated. In this case, there was used a layered film, as said sealfilm 7, prepared by laminating a non-stretched polypropylene layerhaving a thickness of 0.06-0.08 mm, a nylon layer having a thickness of0.015-0.025 mm and a polyethylene terephthalate layer having a thicknessof 0.012 mm in this order from the side of the container body 1.

<Comparative Embodiment>

FIG. 29 shows a manufacturing method according to Comparative Example.In Comparative Embodiment, there were used the same molding mold 31 andthe same plug 32 as those mentioned above, respectively, and asheet-pressing ring 34 of which inner diameter is larger than the outerdiameter of the flange 5 of a container body 1 to be manufactured.

Thermoforming was effected under the same conditions as mentioned above,except that the synthetic resin sheet 41 positioned outside apredetermined portion to be the flange 5 was pinched and pressed aroundthe opening of the cavity 30 by means of said sheet-pressing ring 34 andsaid molding mold 31.

In this method according to Comparative Embodiment, a correspondingportion to the flange 5 was also extended to be stretched and orientedin radial direction. The thus obtained container body 1 is broken at theflange 5 in the orientation direction of the resin, or radially, due toan impact such as dropping.

Industrial Applicability

A refilling container according to the present invention is superior inself-shape holdability; it can refill a content easily; it isadvantageous in transportation, storage, display and the like; and itcan be disposed easily. Accordingly, it is useful as a refillingcontainer for containing various liquid or creamy contents such asliquid shampoos, liquid rinses and other liquid cosmetics, and liquidfoods.

We claim:
 1. A refilling container, comprising:a thermoformed containerbody made of a synthetic resin sheet, said container body having: abarrel portion having a lower end formed with an opening and an upperend formed opposite the lower end,a flange positioned along the lowerend and substantially in a common plane with the opening, a flexibleshoulder portion integrally formed along the upper end of the barrelportion, a nozzle portion integrally formed with and extending away fromthe shoulder portion, and a platen integrally formed with a top sectionof said nozzle portion, wherein said shoulder portion, said nozzleportion and said platen are movable with respect to the barrel portionbetween an extended position and a subsided position in which saidshoulder portion, said nozzle portion and said platen are disposedsubstantially within an interior of said barrel portion; and a seal filmconnected to the flange and being formed across the lower end of thebarrel portion to sealably close the opening.
 2. A refilling containeraccording to claim 1, wherein said shoulder portion is linearly tapered.3. A refilling container according to claim 1, wherein said shoulderportion is arcuately tapered.
 4. A refilling container according toclaim 1, wherein the height size of said nozzle is smaller than theheight size of said shoulder portion.
 5. A refilling container accordingto claim 1, wherein a thickness size of said platen is smaller than athickness size of said nozzle portion.
 6. A refilling containeraccording to claim 1, wherein said barrel portion has a taperedcylindrical shape so that a diameter of the taper reduces upwardly, andwherein an outwardly projected step portion is formed at the lower endportion of the barrel portion and an outer diameter of the step portionis larger than an inner diameter of the opening positioned at the lowerend of said barrel portion.
 7. A refilling container according to claim1, wherein at least one tapered supplemental shoulder portion, of whichtaper reduces upwardly in diameter, is formed between said barrelportion and said shoulder portion.
 8. A refilling container according toclaim 7, wherein a thickness t4 of said barrel portion, a thickness t5of said at least one supplemental shoulder portion, a thickness t6 ofsaid shoulder portion and a thickness t7 of said nozzle portion satisfya size relation wherein: t6>t4≧t5>t7.
 9. A refilling container accordingto claim 7, wherein a thickness t1 of said flange, thickness t2 of saidstep portion, a thickness t3 of the lower portion of said barrelportion, a thickness t4 of the upper portion of said barrel portion, athickness t5 of said at least one supplemental shoulder portion, athickness t6 of said shoulder portion and a thickness t7 of said nozzleportion satisfy a size relation wherein: t1>t6>t2>t3≧t4≧t5>t7.
 10. Arefilling container according to claim 9, wherein the thickness of saidflange is in the range of about 0.4 mm-1.0 mm.
 11. A refilling containeraccording to claim 1, further comprising a reinforcing ring circularlysurrounding said shoulder portion and formed between said barrel portionand said shoulder portion.
 12. A refilling container according to claim11 wherein said reinforcing ring has a substantially flat surfaceincluding an entire outer circumferential edge of said shoulder portion.13. A refilling container according to claim 11, wherein saidreinforcing ring has a sloped surface sloping downwardly toward a centerof the shoulder portion.
 14. A refilling container according to claim11, wherein said reinforcing ring has an upwardly projectingconvex-curved surface.
 15. A refilling container according to claim 1,wherein a reinforcing rib is formed on said shoulder portion.
 16. Arefilling container according to claim 1, wherein a projected pieceprojected downwardly relative to said seal film is formedcircumferentially of said flange.
 17. A refilling container according toclaim 16 wherein a downwardly projected size of the projected piece isset to a larger value than a deflection value of said seal filmdeflected downwardly when a content is filled in said container body.18. A refilling container according to claim 1, wherein a portion ofsaid flange is formed of a non-oriented resin.
 19. A method formanufacturing a refilling container, said refilling container having acontainer body made of a resin,said container body being provided with acylindrical barrel portion; an outwardly overhanging-flange formedintegrally with and circumferentially of an edge of an openingpositioned along a lower end of the barrel portion; a flexible shoulderportion integrally formed with an upper end of said barrel portion; acylindrical nozzle cylinder having a top integrally formed with andextending away from a center portion of the shoulder portion; and aplaten integrally formed with the top of said nozzle cylinder, whereinthe shoulder portion, the nozzle cylinder and the platen are movablewith respect to the cylindrical barrel portion between an extendedposition and a subsided position in which the shoulder portion, thenozzle cylinder and the platen are disposed substantially within aninterior of the cylindrical barrel portion, said refilling containedbeing formed: using a molding mold having a cavity having a shapematching a shape of said container body and having an openingcorresponding to the lower end of said container body, said molding moldbeing cooperable with a plug capable of penetrating into the cavity ofthe molding mold, said method comprising the steps of:(a) covering theopening of said cavity of said molding mold with a synthetic resinsheet; (b) pinching a predetermined portion of the synthetic resinsheet, said predetermined portion forming at least a circumferentialedge portion of the flange of the container body, said predeterminedportion being formed around the opening of said cavity and between saidmolding mold and a pressing ring; (c) pressing said synthetic resinsheet inwardly of said cavity using said plug under a heated conditionto form said container body, including said shoulder portion, the nozzlecylinder and the platen, while pressing and forming said predeterminedportion of said synthetic resin sheet into the flange of said containerbody using said pressing ring; (d) generating a pressure differencebetween the inside and the outside of said synthetic resin sheet duringthe step of pressing using said plug to thereby adhere said syntheticresin sheet to the inner surface of said cavity; and (e) forming a sealfilm connected to the flange and being formed across the lower end ofthe barrel portion to sealably close the opening at the lower end of thebarrel portion of the container body.
 20. A method for manufacturing arefilling container according to claim 19, wherein said sheet-pressingring has a inner diameter no greater than the diameter of the opening ofsaid cavity.
 21. A method for manufacturing a refilling containeraccording to claim 19, wherein the circumferential portion of the edgeof the opening at the lower end of said barrel portion is formed of aresin oriented in both axial and radial directions of said barrelportion.
 22. A method for manufacturing a refilling container, saidrefilling container having a container body made of a resin,saidcontainer body being provided with a cylindrical barrel portion; anoutwardly overhanging-flange formed integrally with andcircumferentially of an edge of an opening positioned along a lower endof the barrel portion; a flexible shoulder portion integrally formedwith an upper end of said barrel portion; a cylindrical nozzle cylinderhaving a top integrally formed with and extending away from a centerportion of the shoulder portion; and a platen integrally formed with thetop of said nozzle cylinder, wherein the shoulder portion, the nozzlecylinder and the platen are movable with respect to the cylindricalbarrel portion between an extended position and a subsided position inwhich the shoulder portion, the nozzle cylinder and the platen aredisposed substantially within an interior of the cylindrical barrelportion, said resin container body being formed using a molding moldhaving a cavity having a shape matching a shape of said container bodyand having an opening corresponding to the lower end of said containerbody, an inside of the opening of the cavity being provided with agroove formed about the opening of the cavity; said molding mold beingcooperable with a plug capable of penetrating into the cavity of themolding mold, said method comprising the steps of:(a) covering theopening of said cavity of said molding mold with a synthetic resinsheet; (b) pinching the synthetic resin sheet circumferential of theopening of said cavity between said molding mold and a sheet-pressingring; (c) pressing said synthetic resin sheet inwardly of said cavityusing said plug under a heated condition to form said container body,including said shoulder portion, said nozzle cylinder and said platen,while pressing said synthetic resin sheet with said pressing ring; (d)generating a pressure difference between the inside and the outside ofsaid synthetic resin sheet during the step of pressing using said plugto thereby adhere said synthetic resin sheet to the inner surface ofsaid cavity; and (e) forming a seal film connected to the flange andbeing formed across the lower end of the barrel portion to sealablyclose the opening at the lower end of the barrel portion of thecontainer body.